Another Bailen Top

As I often do in the summer with the remnants from my viscose / georgette projects - a new Bailen Top. I've already got five of these, but I found that I most often wear my georgette top, as it crinkles much less than the others, so I was very motivated to make another one out of this gorgeous cotton georgette.

I cut the pieces on the bias, as is per pattern, and as I didn't have a big enough bias piece for the back, I actually made it out of two separate pieces, sewn together with a french seam. My side seams are french seams also.

I like to play with the straps, this time I made two pairs of them and decided to place them in the form of a letter M. I think it probably adds some interest to the back and is supposed to cover better the bra straps, but as evidenced from the photos, not quite.

As much as I like this pattern and find it particularly good for utilizing summer fabric remnants, I believe I am fed up with it. I have a few other strap tops in mind so next year I might finally try something new.

Pattern: Bailѐn Top by Pauline Alice, free pattern

Size: 34, slightly modified, cut on the bias

Fabric: 100% cotton georgette

Time to make: 3 days

Pants #114 Burda 04/2013 and Bailén Top

 My third Bailén Top and a new pair of pencil pants.

As with my other Bailén Tops, I made this top out of fabric remnants from other bigger projects - in this case a Shkatulka shirt I finished earlier this year. The fabric is a very thin viscose, which looks a bit plain, crinkles like nobody's business and has little other to recommend it but its noble color and solid drapability. I had enough fabric to cut the top on the bias and without a seam at the back.

As I'm not a big fan of spaghetti straps,  I modified the top to have wide straps, gathered slightly by a small tab at the front for added interest. This is definitely my most favourite out of my three Bailén tops, solely on account of the wider straps.

The second and more substantial make are the trousers - a relatively simple pattern from Burda 04 / 2013. I had a very limited amount of fabric - about 72 cm, plus some scraps, which I used to cut the cuffs and the belt.
I am fairly confident with Burda patterns, when I make my corrections on the upper part of the body, as I know my measures and how they relate to the Burda block. But I hadn't made pants for myself and I was testing the block. I reduced the pattern pieces 2 cm flat above the crotch and 2 cm above the knee and to achieve the desired length out of my short piece of fabric I added open double cuffs.

The pants have high waist, which is still a bit high on me, even after my correction, so I believe I need to make a petite front rise correction too, removing a triangle of about an inch from the front rise. Still, the fit is fairly good and I'm not a fan of wearing my tops tucked in my pants, anyway.
The pants close with an invisible zipper in the side seam.

The fabric of the pants is 100% polyester, probably a single brushed poly, as it looks smooth like velvet on the outside and textured on the inside. First time using this type of fabric, frays like crazy, but otherwise drapy, comfortable and heavy enough for bottoms.

 Back to bangs!

Bailen Top In Brown

I had a small amount of remnant georgette from my mother's Rhapsody and I made another Bailen top. This one is cut on the straight and not on the bias and it does make a big difference in the way it fits me. Still, I love the colors and it was lovely to have a light top under my leather jacket on a day of very uncertain weather.

I decided to make two pairs of straps this time to add some interest to the back. However, obviously I'll have to find a less visible bra, as this one is peaking under the top :(

More about our walk - in my next post.